The North Pacific Right Whale (Eubalaena
japonica)

- the most endangered whale -

Adult right whale off Half
Moon Bay, California, March 1982. Note the arch of the
head, the curved lower lip and the callosity in front of
the blowhole. (The hundreds of white Cornula
barnacles around the mouth are anomalous.)

(updated May 28, 2020)

Recent News

May 26, 2020, 1 North Pacific Right whale seen
approximately 20 nm west of Mqquqw/in/Brooks Peninsula, Vancouver
Island during a transit to Anchorage. Richarg Goings made the
sighting and has a 29 second video which has been posted to
Facebook. (awaiting more detailed info)

In August 2015, NOAA Fisheries conducted a
three week dedicated ship survey for North Pacific right
whales in the Gulf of Alaska southeast of Kodiak Island covering
2,500 nautical miles with both visual observers and acoustic
detection devices (sonobuoys). On
March 10 and March 16 they heard calls from a single right whale
in the area of Barnabas Trough southeast of Kodiak Island in the
general area of the designated Critical Habitat. Despite intensive
searching, they were unable to spot the animals visually.

On June 3, 2013, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service issued
its Final Recovery Plan for the North Pacific Right Whale (Eubalaena
japonica) pursuant to the Endangered
Species Act. he Recovery Plan contains a good description of the
current scientific knowlege regarding right whales and the threats
they face. It also describes what NOAA plans to do to prevent the
species from going extinct.

There have been some recent scientific
publications, but there seems to be little field research
since the completion of the surveys of the eastern Bering Sea by
NMFS for the Minerals Management Service in 2009.

Recent sightings in the Gulf of Alaska:

July 2012 a Japanese sighting survey found a right whale
at 56 17.46 N 149 10.69 W (deep water about 130 miles east of
Kodiak).

May 2010 a right whale was seen by sea kayakers in Pasagshak
Bay, Kodiak Island (photo
online)

Wikipedia & this webpage - how are they different?

In 2010, I decided to change the focus of the present webpage
from being a primary source of all infomation about this species
to being a complement to Wikipedia's
North Pacific Right Whale page. So, I with the
help of many others, I added large amounts of information to the
Wikipedia artice, and am the principal author of that page.

The advantages of this approach is that Wikipedia has many more
visitors and collaborative help from others. Wikipedia is a
know, and generally well trusted website, and it attracts many
viewers who would not wander to a specialized site like mine.

Many people know of right whales as a consequence of Roger
Payne's National Geographic Society TV specials on the whales
of Peninsula Valdez, Argentina. Right whales have also
recently gotten attention from whale-watchers off Cape Cod and
other areas in the northeast and eastern Canada. Right whales
are even becoming the object of significant whale watching
industries (and nice WWW sites!) along the coasts of
Australia (Whales
on the Net and (South
Australia Whale Centre), South
Africa, and New
Brunswick, Canada. However, right whales also occur in
the North Pacific. In fact, they were the basis for a major
whaling industry in the North Pacific, particularly between
1840-48. They still occur in the North Pacific, yet they are
the forgotten whale species. Here is some information about
them.

The World's Most Endangered Whale Species: The North Pacific
Right Whale

Among the large whales, right
whales have shown the least signs of recovery after their
decimation by whalers. The population in the eastern North
Atlantic that supported a major fishery appears to be zero.
The population in the western North Atlantic is less than 400
animals. In the North Pacific, the species is so exceedingly
rare that almost every sighting of a single animal is a
publishable event. There may only be a few hundred animals or
less in the entire North Pacific with most of these animals
occurring in the western North Atlantic and the Sea of
Okhotsk.

In the U.S., conservation of
all whales is the responsibility of the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the Department of Commerce. Their
WWW site has information about Northern
Right Whales generally. Pursuant to its responsibilities
under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, in 1990 NMFS prepared a Recovery
Plan for the the Northern Right Whale which it is now
updating. Because the western North Atlantic population is
much better known than the No Pacific population, the former
has been the focus of the conservation efforts of NMFS and
other groups such as the New
England Aquarium and the Center for Coastal Studies in
Provincetown, MA. The No. Pacific right whale population
remains elusively difficult to study, let alone protect. The
International Whaling Commission convened a Special Meeting of
the Scientific Committee to Review the Status of Right Whales
in March 1998 in South Africa.

My studies of Maury's whaling records from the 1840s revealed
very dense populations of right whales both in the Gulf of
Alaska, and more particularly along the coast of Kamchatka
(RWs seen on 90+% of search days) and along the Kurile
Islands. Review of the historic whaling records shows an
extraordinary abundance of right whales in the North Pacific
in the 1840s. Right whales appear to have been more abundant
than gray whales in the North Pacific. I hope that the No Pac.
right whale is not forgotten in all the justified concern for
RWs in other oceans.

All indications are that the E North Pacific population is
exceedingly small and may be on its way out. Given the level
of whalewatching/fishing/pelagic birding effort along the
California coast, particularly during the January-March
period, the low level of sightings appears to mirror a very
small, perhaps intermittent population here.

The Urban Whale by Scott
Kraus and Rosalind Rolland (eds.) (2010) Harvard
University Press. This book focuses on the North Atlantic
Right Whale along the East Coast of the U.S. but has great
relevance to the North Pacific as well, and has great
information about the basic biology and ecology of right
whales. Very highly recommended.

Right Whales by Phil Clapham
(Voyageur Press) 2004. An excellent book on the biology and
conservation status of right whales. Most of the
conservation emphasis is on the western North Atlantic
population, but is relevant to No. Pacific right whales as
well. Well-written, it is an easy read for anyone interested
in this species and scientifically very accurate and
current.

Going Down? by Joseph Roman in Wildlife
Conservation magazine, June 2000 pp.36-35. A good
survey of the problems facing the northern right whale with
a focus on the western North Atlantic population.

The Search for the Right Whale
by Scott Kraus & Kenneth Mallory, (Crown Publishers/New
England Aquarium, 1993). Although this book looks like it is
aimed towards a younger audience, it is an excellent
introduction to right whales with great photos.

Seasons of the Whale by Erich
Hoyt (Chelsea Green Publishing Co, 1990). This book tells
the story of a couple of dozen real whales and
dolphins during their annual migrations along the east coast
of North America, including the story of 5 right whales.

With the Whales by Flip Nicklin
and James Darling (NorthWood Press, 1990). An extraordinary
collection of spectacular photographs of whales, including
many shots of right whales.

Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
by the National Geographic Society (1995). One of the best
books the NGS has ever done with more of Flip Nicklin's
spectacular photos.